Trio of Tablets – PC for 2011

I have yet to see a tablet that would convince me to give up my desktop PC but I have to say that the newer models I have seen may just convince me that netbooks are officially dead. This time around, let us take a look at a trio of new tablets out this year that may not be iPad 2 killers but may very well be an affordable alternative. I’ve lined up a couple sporting the latest edition of Android for you converts, and a “throwback” rocking Windows 7 just in case some of you are as un-hip as I am. Let’s start with a little something from Packard Bell.

Packard Bell Liberty Tab

For those of you who thought Packard Bell is a has-been that never would reclaim the glory that they once held… you may be right. But that doesn’t mean they’re going to stop trying. The new Packard Bell Liberty Tab is a Honeycomb tablet that has just about all the essentials in the right place with few of the extra bells and whistles that inflate price tags.

This little 10 inch machine runs on a Tegra 2 processor and features dual cameras (one in the front and one in back—most likely a 5mp and 2mp respectively). You’ll only get 1GB of RAM but it should be enough for doing most anything the tablet can do. It looks like the base model will house up to 16GB of flash storage—which is a little disappointing–and there’s no word yet of an upgraded model.

There’s also an HDMI output so you can use the tablet as a portable media storage device and play movies and slideshows on any HD device equipped with an HDMI port.

Really, the Liberty Tab is a rebranded model of the Acer Iconia A500 tablet with the major difference being a wider availability.

The Packard Bell Liberty Tab is set to take Europe by storm (probably not) sometime in June with a wider release shortly after that.

And speaking of the Acer Iconia line . . .

Acer Iconia W500

The Acer Iconia W500 is just a Windows 7 version of the little A500. The spec’s are pretty much the same and the device is essentially just there to catch the eye of those folks who haven’t yet converted to the Android OS.

The Iconia is a 10.1 inch tablet whose 1280 X 800 display is quite sharp in comparison to similarly sized models. It comes packed with 2GB of RAM (which is a step up over most competitors) and AMD Radeon HD 6250 graphics on board. That power is coupled with a 1GHz Ontario AMD fusion APU.

You’ll also get two cameras, an HDMI out, and Wi-Fi. The battery life isn’t that great (6 hours) but the Iconia W500 does come with a keyboard dock so those of you who hate virtual keyboards won’t have to shell out extra for another peripheral any time soon.

The Iconia W500 hit shelves on April 15th and sports a price tag of $549—not too shabby. Hit up the official Acer website for more info.

Toshiba Regza AT300

The Toshiba Regza AT300 is a Japan-only release right now (which might explain the awkward name) but it looks like this shiny little tablet will jump the Pacific Ocean sometime shortly after the June Japan release date.

While it shares a few similar spec’s with the Iconia above, it has a very evolved style that looks a little Apple-inspired but clearly isn’t just a knockoff. The Regza is a 10.1 tablet which rocks a 1280 X 800 display and a Tegra 2 processor.

It runs on Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) and has a single 5mp rear-facing camera (no FaceTime knockoffs for you!) One thing it does have though is a USB port in addition to the HDMI out.

The tablet is set to hit the streets of Tokyo in late June with a price tag of roughly $723. I would expect that to come down quite quickly if the Regza does make it across the water. With competition like the higher-powered Iconia out there selling for less, the big price tag will no doubt stall sales. Oh, and chances are it will have a more Americanized name when it makes the trek east.

Posted on Friday, May 27, 2011 / 0 comments / Read More

Gaming / Game Goods: Tech for Time Wasters

What do you do if you find yourself with a little too much time on your hands? If you’re anything like me and the thousands of other gaming geeks out there on the internet you turn to video games. This time around we take a look at some of the coolest tech you can use to kill time.

EVO 2 Console

Gaming consoles seemingly rule the world of video games but if you don’t have one of the top three you’re often left in the dark. And we won’t even mention those bargain basement plug-and-play “consoles” that trick gamers into buying them thinking that they’re getting something for nothing.

But the new EVO 2 console is interesting. It’s an Android-based gaming console that straps right on to your TV. It’s the brainchild of Envizions, the company that brought us the EVO game console (the Linux device that almost nobody bought).

Spec’s are a bit shifty on this one but developers will be able to get their hands on one of these this spring in preparation for the nationwide console launch in the fall.

Apparently the device will be running Android 2.2 and come packed with a game controller that looks suspiciously like an Xbox 360 controller on a diet and a TV remote. In a twist that has many hardcore gamers scratching their heads, Envizionz says the console will also support motion control (though there has been no mention of how such control would be offered) “eventually.”

The game system will come complete with its own online shop which uses EVO tokens with which users can purchase and download games.

Official word is that the EVO 2 will run around $250 at launch but with the sketchy history of the EVO console I wouldn’t be surprised if this thing evaporates before it hits store shelves.

Hit up the official link for more info and to pre-order your EVO 2 for just $15 down.

ASUS Matrix GTX 580 Graphics Card

What good are next-generation games without great graphics? For years the 3D card business has been dominated by NVIDIA and ATI but there’s a new player in the game: ASUS. That’s right, the PC company with the funny commercials and more mid-priced computers than you can shake a stick at has entered as a solid competitor in the realm of graphics processing.

The ASUS Matrix GTX 580 graphics card is a beast, and not because it’s absolutely huge. It packs 1.5GB of RAM on board and two huge fans (with accompanying cooling units that could probably keep a moderately sized apartment comfortable in the middle of a hot July.)

Before you go pre-order one of these puppies, take note—the card requires three PCI slots, so make sure your box is up to the task or you’ll have a large and unwieldy paper weight.

The GTX 580 cores will also be available in the as-yet-to-be-seen MARS II dual-GPU which packs two of them and 3GB of RAM into what is bound to be an even more massive housing.

There’s no word on pricing or an official launch date yet but if I were you, I’d be saving my pennies.

NZXT Avatar S Gaming Mouse

Gaming mice can be ridiculously complicated and ludicrously expensive. Thankfully the folks at NZXT don’t think either of those criteria make up a good peripheral. They’ve recently unveiled the NZXT Avatar S gaming mouse (the spiritual successor to their famous Avatar mouse) for just under $40.

So what do you get for your coin? How about a 1,600 DPI laser, five configurable buttons, and LED lights (which are also customizable)? The mouse houses 16GB of memory on board to save all those settings.

And if you’re worried about ergonomics on your decades-long “World of Warcraft” campaigns, this thing has specially designed grooves cut into the rubberized coating to keep your fingers from slipping even when they’re coated with Doritos powder.

You can even choose your color (either black or white).

Strangely enough, that $40 price tag is actually $20 cheaper than the Avatar model this unit is replacing—probably because the Avatar sported a 2,600 DPI laser instead of the 1,600 model.

Look for this puppy to hit the interwebs in June.

Visit the NZXT website for more details.

Posted on Friday, May 27, 2011 / 1 comments / Read More

4 New Phones / 2011 – SmartPhones That Make Your Life Easier

If you’ve been holding off on upgrading your current phone or breaking away from your current contract to buy another, you may just want to wait a little bit longer. The following list of hot new smartphones has something for everybody whether they’re an Android devotee or an Apple addict—but first we’re starting off with the Nokia E6.

Nokia E6

The Nokia E6 smartphone may look like a Blackberry with its QWERTY keyboard and 2.46 inch display (couldn’t have spare that extra .04 inches Nokia?) but that’s where the similarities end.
The phone comes packed with the latest Symbian software, nicknamed Anna, and fits the bill of a business phone to a T. The phone weighs just under 133 grams and has 8GB of memory built in with the capacity to take up to a 32GB micro SD card for expansion purposes. The 8 megapixel camera shoots crisp pictures and 720p HD video (only at 25 FPS though).

However, the big news is the battery life. The 1500mAh monster boasts a month’s worth of standby usage before you have to recharge, making perfect for those business travelers who always forget their phone chargers.

Hit up the official Nokia website for all the info.

Droid Bionic

Next up is the Droid Bionic. You’re going to have to wait even longer to get your hands on this handheld though. The official release date has been pushed back to fall 2011. However, latest specs on the phone bill it as a CDMA cousin to the Atrix 4G with a 1GHz Tegra 2 processor and dual-band Wi-Fi. In addition, you’ll get 16GB of internal storage with a micro SD slot if you need more.

Externally the Bionic sports a 4.3 inch TFT LCD and an 8 megapixel camera with a LED flash. It shoots 720p video at slightly faster speeds than the E6 above (still only 30 FPS) and a gut-busting 1930mAh battery.

Currently the OS is listed as Froyo 2.2 but with the release date being pushed back so far I wouldn’t be surprised if you see that changed before this handheld shelves.

Visit the Motorola store to see the Bionic.

iPhone 5?

Now, let’s take a look in the Apple camp and examine some rumors about the iPhone 5.

Several sources have confessed to the news wire Reuters that the iPhone 5 will be hitting store shelves in September of this year. That’s slightly later than the summer date that had previously been tossed out of the rumor mill but infinitely more reliable.

So what’s new with Apple’s newest Jesus phone? Apparently not much.

These same sources say that it may have a faster processor (rumored to be the A5 that’s currently in the other iDevice of the moment—the iPad). It will also come equipped with an 8 megapixel camera. Almost all of these unnamed sources agree that it will have a much better antennae design. But what’s lacking is anything really revolutionary. Apparently the design of the phone won’t change that much at all from the iPhone 4, with Apple betting there are enough people out there still glued into their 2-year AT&T contract who won’t want to upgrade this year—but just might next year.

It will, most likely, be available in white at launch but fears over the ongoing disaster in Japan have some worried that Apple won’t be able to produce enough of these phones to meet demand. In addition, if push comes to shove, it looks like the company will scrap plans for a simultaneous launch of the next generation iPod.

Nokia x7

Lastly, let’s take a look at the quirky and uniquely designed Nokia X7. This little phone doesn’t really look like a phone at all. In fact, it looks like a calculator I once owned.

My first impression of the design though is that I like it. It’s good to see that not every mobile provider in the world is willing to keep cloning the iPhone.

The X7 sports a 4 inch AMOLED screen and an 8 megapixel camera. Like the E6 above, it will run Symbian Anna but it was clearly meant to be the sportier of the two phones. Instead of a physical keyboard, the X7 has a virtual one which is now capable of portrait or landscape orientation.

The resolution (just 640 X 360) is a bit disappointing and so isn’t the 680MHz processor.

But if you’re not asking too much from the hardware you’ll be happy with the phone. It features 720p video playback and can handle a host of multimedia applications though more advanced users will definitely want to look elsewhere.

Visit the Nokia website for details on the X7.

Posted on Friday, May 27, 2011 / 0 comments / Read More

Trio of New Laptops for 2011: Stylish To Powerful With Nothing In Between

I’ve never been one to put style over function—especially when it comes to computers. I want a machine that will do what I ask it to without hesitation and don’t really care what it looks like. However, for some PC manufacturers it seems that style is the deciding factor. Up for review today we have three new laptops set to hit the market in 2011 that try (and sometimes fail) to balance form with function. Up first is the Acer Aspire One 722.

Acer Aspire One 722

I have an older Acer Aspire One and love it for the portability but rue the small screen and tiny keyboard (I have big fingers) but there’s something to be said for a PC with the size of a trade paperback. However, not everybody has always been so enamored of Acer’s little machines. They’re cheap, moderately functionally, but exceptionally boring to look at.

Acer is hoping to change the Aspire One’s image with the new 722 model. While inside the PC still sports mediocre hardware (an AMD 1GHz processor, Radeon HD 6250 graphic setup, and no optical drive) the outside will no doubt be more pleasing to some. Acer has given this little beauty a molded plastic case rather than the standard plain coating. The case is designed with concentric cirles (as if to suggest a water drop in a still pond) radiating from the center of the “O” in the word “One.”

It’s not exactly earth-shattering, and definitely not worth any more money, but at least the company is trying to give consumers something that looks a little less bargain basement.

One noted improvement in this 11 inch netbook is the increased pixel count. The screen is capable of 1366 X 768 resolutions so you won’t have to squint quite so hard. Acer also threw in another speaker (for a total of two) and a bigger battery good for roughly seven hours.

There’s no word on official pricing or a release date but with the spec’s as set in stone as they are, I would guess it won’t be long before we see this model on store shelves.

ASUS U43SD Bamboo

A lot was said about ASUS giving their line of laptops optional bamboo cases—or rather bamboo plating which is added to the outside of the case. Bamboo is a “green” material that’s easily renewable (it is a type of grass after all) and the sleek sophisticated look that it lent the computer’s hardware could not be denied.

But all that was a few years ago now and in order to keep up the bamboo plating needed a little something extra under the hood. That’s why ASUS is releasing a new version (the U43SD). It’s a 14 inch laptop that will now house an Intel Sandy Bridge processor inside its green casing. Users can choose between the Core i3 or Core i5 models and get NVIDIA’s GeForce GT 520M graphics card to boot.

Available hard drive options include a 5,400 RPM model and a 7,200 RPM model (sorry no solid state drive with this refresh). ASUS will even give you a choice between batteries (6 or 8 cells).

Other than the marked upgrades and an inch added to the screen, the U43SD is pretty much more of the same.

ASUS is being tight-lipped about pricing as yet but the first bamboo models were a bit overpriced for the hardware so there’s no reason to think that these updated models won’t be as well.

For more info, visit the official ASUS website.

Toshiba Qosmio T851M

The Toshiba Qosmio T851 has a lot more to offer than just an intriguing name. This 15.6 inch laptop can simultaneously let users view 2D and glasses-free 3D images on the screen. This is done through some digital wizardry using the web camera to track your eye position and a dedicated SpursEngine image processor to send different images to each of your eyes.

Borrowing a technique from Microsoft’s Kinect, the laptop uses Face3D software to create a model of the user’s face, recognizing them when they’re planted in front of the monitor, and automatically adjusts depth.

All of this wizardry needs some serious hardware to run it and the Qosmio is no slouch when it comes to internals. The PC is rocking a Core i5-2410M processor and NVIDIA’s GT540M chipset to make this graphic’s heavy presentation run as smoothly as possible. Top it off with up to 8GB of RAM and you shouldn’t have much trouble running anything you want on this beast.

Just for giggles you’ll also get a BDXL capable Blu-ray drive.

Look for this Toshiba to hit shelves this July (in Japan anyway with a worldwide release sometime after that).

Posted on Friday, May 27, 2011 / 0 comments / Read More

Samsung 3D VOD Service in Korea - Coming to US and Europe Soon

Samsung is apparently an early adopter of this technology. Great news for Samsung 3DTV owners with nothing to watch on their TVs. If you are one of those customers left in the list, Samsung seems to have considered your complaint. The company has officially rolled out 3D video-on-demand streaming service to these televisions.

Samsung announced a partnership with DreamWorks that would see "a new streaming 3D Video-On-Demand (VOD) service that would make DreamWorks Animation content - trailers and promotions in both 3D and 2D- available for streaming via the 3D application for Samsung Smart TVs in 2011. The machine-translated, but it looks like movie trailers, music videos and children's education films will start things off, before full-length features and more are added later on.

Korea has given the official doze to Samsung to bring in 3D service. The US and Europe will immediately follow Korea that means you need to be ready for some amazing 3D content from Samsung coming your way out in other parts of the world too... We are yet to get pricing details at the moment, but there is a chance that the launch dates and prices will be announced any time soon.

Posted on Friday, May 27, 2011 / 0 comments / Read More

WebOS on PCs will be an 'integrated experience'

HP blocked its recent "Think Beyond" event with a extraordinary announcement that webOS would be coming to PCs. How, accurately, the company considered on doing that has been a mystery. The Seattle Times just interviewed HP's CTO, Phil McKinney, who helped put to rest some premature speculation that HP would be dumping Microsoft Windows in favor of webOS while adding some clarity to its webOS on the whole thing plan. According to Phil, people still want an OS appropriate to PCs, tablets, and smartphones with webOS pulling it all together by "taking the existing operating systems and bringing WebOS onto those platforms and making it universal across all of our footprint." That doesn't signify that webOS will run as a virtualized instance within Windows. Phil says, "it's not virtualization. It's an integrated WebOS experience we're looking to bring." He then adds, "We're working with Microsoft on the future of Windows and we're very optimistic on what that future is, but what we think is we can bring an enhancement to that." The goal is to create a large device footprint that makes webOS a very good-looking platform to developers -- "you can build up your WebOS app that'll run on your phone, your slate and your PC," according to McKinney. Hmm, apparently HP didn't get the Elopcalypse memo about the "three-horse race" that considers HP's and RIM's ecosystems irrelevant

Posted on Friday, May 27, 2011 / 0 comments / Read More